Formation The 27th Machine-Gun Battalion was raised at
Burnham, New Zealand, on 3 October 1939. With an authorised strength of around 700 personnel and equipped with
Vickers machine guns, the battalion consisted of four machine gun companies, designated No. 1 to No. 4, underneath a headquarters company which fulfilled various specialist functions including administration, signals, transport, and anti-aircraft defence. Under the command of Lieutenant Colonel
Lindsay Merritt Inglis, the battalion undertook training in New Zealand before being shipped to Egypt in January 1941.
Mediterranean theatre Further training was undertaken at
Maadi Camp, after which the 27th was one of the first units of the
2nd New Zealand Division to go into action in the
Greek Campaign in April 1941. It took part in all the battles during the withdrawal to the
Peloponnese, including the rearguard actions in the
Battle of Vevi and the
Battle of Mount Olympus. The battalion, together with the rest of the division, was withdrawn to the island
Crete and took part in the subsequent
Battle of Crete during the German invasion, fighting at
Maleme and
Galatas. After Crete, the battalion served in the
Western Desert Campaign, in
Operation Crusader in 1941 and the
Second Battle of El Alamein, and the pursuit of the Axis forces to
Tunisia where it took part in the
Tunisian Campaign. Notable was the flanking manoeuvre around the
Mareth Line. The battalion was also one of the New Zealand units that supplied men for the
Long Range Desert Group. The battalion was next in action during the
Italian Campaign during which its
Vickers machine guns fired nearly nine million rounds of ammunition. It was one of the first New Zealand units to cross the
Sangro River and early in 1945, was converted to an infantry battalion and fought in the crossing of the
Sillaro River and at the Gaiana Canal, ending the war with the capture of
Trieste. The battalion's casualties during the war amounted to 182 killed, 508 wounded and 257 captured. Members of the battalion received the following decorations: three
Distinguished Service Orders, eight
Military Crosses and one
Bar, and 26
Military Medals. One officer was also appointed to the
Order of the British Empire.
Postwar In the post war period, the battalion was then transferred to the
Far East, where it was converted to an infantry unit and served with the
New Zealand occupation forces in Japan. On 7 August 1947, the 27th Battalion changed its name to 3rd Battalion,
New Zealand Regiment. It was disbanded in 1948 following its return to New Zealand. ==Battle honours==